A Prayer For Valentine’s Day: Make Us Lovers

Make us lovers of our spouses, especially when they’re stubborn knuckleheads and especiallywhen they forget Valentine’s Day. Make us lovers of our children, when they give us grey hairs and scream right through nap-time. Make us lovers of our landlords who seem to know no other words than “where’s my rent?!” Make us lovers of the jerks that honk at us in traffic and the airport officers who endlessly reprimand: ” Ma’am I said to PUT YOUR LAPTOP IN A SEPARATE TRAY” (like we’ve nothing else to possibly occupy our thoughts than TSA regulations).

Make us lovers of the doctors who charge hundreds of dollars to tell us “it’s just a bug; lots of fluids and rest.” Make us lovers of our neighbors who take our parking spot, the tenant above us that has (it would seem) parties at 2:30 AM, which somehow involves dragging heavy chairs across the kitchen floor… right above our bedrooms. Make us lovers of our roommates who can’t grasp the concept of cleaning dishes, our classmates that ask annoying questions right.before.we’re.supposed.to.leave and the waitress that “oh for pete’s sake! It’s been almost an hour since we ordered!”

Make us lovers of our President, and, particularly now, the Presidential candidates (Okay. Fine. Even Trump). Make us lovers of our senators, our governors and all authority figures whom we sometimes tolerate but tend to piss us off.

Make us lovers of your creation, of the trees that sway, the rain that falls and the animals that share the land. Make us lovers of your creation that also know how to steward it. Make us caretakers and cohabitants of this wonderful world you’ve created, oh Lord, and not spoiled brats who just use it as our playground.

Make us lovers of the homeless, the orphans, the widows, the single mothers, widowed fathers, the people who live on the margins of our communities and society. Make us lovers of victims but also of perpetrators. Make us lovers of crooks and pornographers- though we do ask first that you make us lovers of the ones they exploit. Make us lovers of other races and nationalities: lovers, not simply majorities who tolerate but belittle those who are not like us.

Make us lovers of our enemies, of those who are threats to our national or personal security. Make us lovers of ISIS, of terrorists, extremists, modern-day Nazis, and those who commit the worst of atrocities. Make us lovers of life rather than instigators of violence. Make us lovers of justice and reconciliation rather than those who seek retribution and vengeance.

And we ask that you, likewise, would make us lovers of you- Father, Son and Holy Spirit- and lovers of the wonders you have created and the people you do love.

Lastly, oh Lord, make us lovers of ourselves- to such an end that we don’t take ourselves too seriously. And enable us to see our faces in the mirror like you do: as children in need of grace but also clothed in it.

You created romance, sex, flowers, marriage and (best yet) chocolate. And for that we thank you, dear God.